The Rundown for Nov. 22, 2018

MACY’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE KICKS OFF THE HOLIDAY… Despite strong winds and frigid temperatures on the forecast, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is set to continue the tradition today. An extreme cold weather alert has been issued, and Mayor Bill de Blasio urges people to dress for temperatures in the low 20s. Floating characters that the parade is known for will be grounded if sustained winds exceed 23 mph.

GOVERNMENT AGENCY INVESTIGATING WHITAKER’S DONATIONS… The Office of the Special Counsel — not to be confused with Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team — has opened an investigation into donations made to acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker’s failed 2014 Senate campaign after he was employed by the Justice Department. The government agency told CNN that it is looking into $8,800 worth of donations that may be a violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from accepting political contributions. The donations were reportedly made earlier this year, when Whitaker was serving as then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ chief of staff. Whitaker’s campaign treasurer, William Gustoff, said that neither he nor Whitaker solicited any of the donations.

NEW MIGRANT POLICY… Internal Department of Homeland Security planning documents obtained by the Washington Post and confirmed by three DHS officials indicate the Trump administration is adopting a change in policy regarding Central American migrants who arrive at U.S. border crossings seeking asylum in the U.S. The new plan calls for the migrants to remain in Mexico while their claims are processed. The policy mandates that asylum seekers who cannot establish a “reasonable fear” of persecution in Mexico will not be allowed to enter the U.S. and will be turned around at the border.

TRUMP REPORTEDLY CANCELLED SPECIAL COUNSEL INTERVIEW… The Associated Press reported yesterday that President Trump canceled a scheduled interview with special counsel Robert Mueller’s team on January 27 after the special counsel’s office told the White House what topics it wanted to discuss with the president. Trump’s chief of staff John Kelly reportedly recommended that the interview be held at Camp David without the press knowing. Mueller team prosecutor Jim Quarles allegedly presented the White House with about “16 topics Mueller wanted to cover” in the interview—including “Trump’s interactions with Comey, his knowledge of national security adviser Michael Flynn’s interview with the FBI and his involvement in the Trump Tower statement,” according to the AP.

DEATH TOLL RISES IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA BLAZE… The death toll from the Camp Fire in Northern California rose to 83 yesterday and authorities in Butte County say 536 people remain missing. 4 to 6 inches of rain is expected to fall in the area and provide relief to fire crews. However, the rain also offers a potential hazard in the form of mudflows.

ENTERTAINMENTDE NIRO AND WIFE SEPARATE… Actor Robert De Niro and his wife, Grace Hightower, have reportedly separated after 20 years of marriage. The couple had been reported to be living apart for months. The two have endured troubled times before. De Niro filed for divorce in 1999, but the two reconciled and later renewed their vows in 2004. The couple has a 20-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter.

LFO MEMBER DIES… Devin Lima, a member of the pop trio LFO, who had chart success at the turn of the millennium, has died after a battle with adrenal cancer. He was 41 and had been diagnosed with the disease last year. In 1999, LFO had top 10 hits in the U.S with “Summer Girls” and “Girl on TV.”

SPORTSNBA SCORES…PHILADELPHIA 121 – New Orleans 120… Joel Embiid powered his way to 31 points and 19 rebounds as the 76ers held off the Pelicans. Ben Simmons added 22 points for Philadelphia, which had six players score in double figures.

Denver 103 – MINNESOTA 101… The Nuggets outscored the Timberwolves 35-18 in the third quarter and held on down the stretch to escape with the win. Paul Milsap’s 25 points led all scorers.

HOUSTON 126 – Detroit 124… James Harden pumped in a season-high 43 points and the Rockets turned away a late rally to beat the Pistons for their fifth straight win. Clint Capela tossed in 27 points for Houston.

L.A. Lakers 109 – CLEVELAND 105… LeBron James came up big in his return to Cleveland with 32 points and 14 boards and the Lakers got past the Cavaliers. Five other players scored in double figures for L.A.

CHICAGO 124 – Phoenix 116… The Bulls got 29 points from Zach LaVine in downing the Suns for their first win in five games. Jabari Parker scored 20 points and gathered 13 rebounds.

Memphis 104 – SAN ANTONIO 103… Marc Gasol made two free throws with less than a second remaining to lift the Grizzlies over the Spurs. Gasol had 20 points and 10 boards on the night. Mike Conley scored a game-high 30 points.

Sacramento 119 – UTAH 113… The Kings fended off the Jazz in the fourth quarter to pull out the victory. Willie Cauley-Stein scored 25 points to lead seven players in double figures. De’Aaron Fox had 17 points and 13 assists.

Oklahoma City 123 – GOLDEN STATE 95… The Thunder bombed the Warriors 36-16 in the fourth quarter to break the game open. Dennis Schroder delivered a game-high 32 points off the bench. Paul George had 25 points. Steven Adams finished with 20 points and 11 boards.

WASHINGTON 4 – Chicago 2… Four different players found the net as the Capitals topped the Blackhawks for their third straight win. Tom Wilson’s goal 54 seconds into the contest opened the scoring.

PITTSBURGH 5 – Dallas 1… Sidney Crosby scored a goal and assisted on two others as the slumping Penguins ripped the Stars. Patric Hornqvist had a goal and an assist.

NEW JERSEY 5 – Montreal 2… Pavel Zacha netted a pair of goals as the Devils downed the Canadiens. Taylor Hall added a goal and an assist.

N.Y. RANGERS 5 – N.Y. Islanders 0… Alexandar Georgiev stopped all 29 shots at goal as the Rangers blanked the Islanders. Chris Kreider had a goal and an assist. Kevin Shattenkirk had two assists.

TAMPA BAY 7 – Florida 1… Steven Stamkos scored a goal and had three assists as the Lightning skated past the Panthers. Nikita Kucherov had a goal and two assists. Goalie Louis Domingue made 40 saves.

DETROIT 3 – Boston 2 (OT)… Andreas Athanasiou scored a tying goal midway through the third period and added the game-winner 49 seconds into overtime as the Red Wings outlasted the Bruins. Jimmy Howard stopped 34 shots at goal.

BUFFALO 5 – Philadelphia 2… The Sabres scored four first-period goals and never looked back in their win over the Flyers. Evan Rodriguez had a goal and an assist.

MINNESOTA 6 – Ottawa 4… The Wild got two goals apiece from Eric Staal and Matt Dumba in outshooting the Senators. Jordan Greenway had a goal and an assist.

NASHVILLE 4 – St. Louis 1… Pekka Rinne made 28 saves to set an NHL record for victories by a goalie from Finland and the Predators topped the Blues. Rinne’s 320th career win sent him past countryman Miikka Kiprusoff. The victory was Nashville’s third in a row.

Vegas 3 – ARIZONA 2 (OT)… Max Pacioretty scored off a rebound at 3:36 of overtime to send the Golden Knights past the Coyotes. Pacioretty also had a second-period goal.

ANAHEIM 4 – Vancouver 3… Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and an assist as the Ducks edged the Canucks to snap their three-game skid. Goalie John Gibson stopped 25 shots in his 100th career victory.

CALGARY 6 – Edmonton 3… The Flames opened with a five-goal first period and coasted past the Jets. Sam Bennett scored a goal and had an assist. Goalie David Rittich made 37 saves.

Colorado 7 – LOS ANGELES 3… The Avalanche scored three power-play goals on their way to routing the Kings. Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist. Alexander Kerfoot assisted on three goals.